#Savage Land Mutates

[splooosh]

“it will not be”

Jim Lee - Scott Williams

[onlylonelylatino]

Ka-Zar and the Mutates by Alan Davis

[pepperclint]

[rockthrowingman]

#WormGang

[elgaberino-mcoc]

spreadsheet cleanup subseries: brotherhood of evil mutants subseries: savage land mutates LORELEI (LANI UBANU)

ComicVine: 79 issues Fandom 25 appearances, 4 variants 1 video game

siren-like artificial mutant engineered by Magneto

Low priority for the @MCOCwishlist

- Other Gabe

[odditycircus-2002]

Medusa!Reader and Shang Tsung MK 1 (Part 3)

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Spoilers for Mortal Kombat 1: Proceed with Caution

At first, Shang didn't recognize you since you changed in height and voice. He realized it was you from your mask and mannerisms. To Shang's credit, he seemed genuinely glad to see you again and relieved to see you are well, almost remorseful to see you ran away because of your "accident."

He claimed that he had guards searching the nearby land for you but didn't think you'd willingly go to the Wastes. Your mind and heart warred with one another when Shang touched your shoulder with a soft, fond expression. A look you haven’t seen in many moons and find yourself sometimes missing as much as hating.

That's when Baraka barked at Shang to back away from you. Internally, the Tarkatan's reasoning was to protect his friend from getting hurt, but deep in his soul, the reason was the same as a territorial male taigore. As if flipping a switch, Shang went from acting affectionately with you to callously gesturing for the guards to hold Baraka down so he could plunge a syringe into his spine, unflinching at the Tarkatan's pained roars. You shout Baraka’s name before demanding the soldiers to release him, chastising him for treating one of your patients so callously as if they were mere animals. Shang Tsung didn’t stop you. You kneel down to check on Baraka, then free him from his bonds and help him get back on his feet. You had to hold the large man back from attacking the Sorcerer, who then made the mistake of opening his mouth.

"Get away from that savage, Y/N! We don't want you to share its fate as well."

That’s when you hiss and yell at Shang Tsung that you more or less share that with Baraka, or has he forgotten that he caused your affliction? Shang’s eyes widened as he seemed honestly taken aback that you blamed him for your accident. He then offers to take you from the Wastes’ ghettos and back to your laboratory as an apology. He would find a way to reverse your mutation there, and you both can continue your noble work on a cure for Tarkat.

You immediately declined his offer, stating you were fine working at the camp. Shang's eyes widen at your rejection, a look of pain flashing across his face before it’s placed with a look of contempt. He narrows his eyes at you as he takes note of Baraka gently holding the hand you had on his chest within his much larger one. 

Shang sees how it is and thus changes his tone accordingly. He gives a pantomime sigh, stating it’s a shame you refused since that’ll mean he’ll have to report to the Empress that you abandoned your post to hide your affliction from her. When she finds out, you’ll be stripped of your rank and assets, including your years of research and supplies, before being left permanently in the Wastes. Reminding you that Sindel is likely to take his word over yours because of your schism with Sindel and the promising results he’s shown.

"You remember why I have the Empress's ear, don't you?"

The sorcerer could feel your despair oozing from behind your mask. Baraka lets out a low growl, able to smell your troubled state, as he begs you to let him dice the Sorcerer into tiny meat chunks.

But you don't let Baraka do so. That's when Shang offers an ultimatum. You can continue your research at the camp, and Shang won’t let Sindel know about your condition in exchange for your notes on your progress. Shang will give you some supplies to continue your work monthly since he WILL return to the colony to take what he needs from the Tarkatans. Failure to comply means letting Sindel in on your new appearance and desertion. It was an offer you couldn’t afford to take.

So it’s with a heavy heart that you accept, much to Baraka’s discontent and Shang’s delight. The latter leaves you with the consolation that you could always return to the Laboratory whenever you desire, ensuring you’ll never return to the Tarkatan’s wretched camp. You merely hiss at Shang to hurry up and leave. Later on, in the privacy of your workshop, Baraka demands to know why you accepted an offer with that snake in the first place.

As much as you want to tell him, you have your oaths and can only say that he's treating someone very dear to you; you tell Baraka this as much. While he understands, he promises you that he'll TRY not to kill Shang for the foreseeable future but makes no guarantees that he won't. Baraka admits that seeing Shang in his colony and near you brings out something dark and feral within him, demanding he remove the threat from his home. While he's unable to see, you are smiling warmly at him behind your mask as you thank him.

so for the next few moons, you and Shang stuck to your new arrangement. However, even then, he tried to court you. He’ll leave you with new supplies to replenish your stocks and gifts in the form of herbs and luxuries such as fine soaps and bedding. If it weren’t for the colony’s need for such things, you would’ve thrown his gifts back in his face. So you had to swallow your pride and thank Shang for his “generosity.” You still tried to keep Shang from doing anything more to the Tarkatans under your care, warning him constantly that provoking them only worsens their symptoms and makes them more likely to violently lash out. Yet, the Sorcerer mostly doesn’t heed your warnings. You also had to ensure Baraka didn’t rip and tear into Shang Tsung on sight, but the Sorcerer didn’t make that easy. In fact, he seemed amused to watch Baraka’s hatred and irritation for him tug against your metaphorical leash.

During one of Shang’s monthly visits, Baraka finally had enough of the Sorcerer. Rather than letting the Sorcerer walk away after extracting his marrow, Baraka swiftly killed the guards that held him down with his arm blades. It would appear that, shortly after, the rest of the colony would follow suit and attack the imperial soldiers who herded them to the edges of the camp, finally fed up with their cruel treatment. Baraka then turned his attention to Shang, who grabbed you with a free hand to drag you away from the scene; Baraka then proceeded to kick his ass.

No doubt, the Tarkatan leader would’ve killed Shang Tsung if it weren’t for you holding out your arms in front of the Sorcerer and reasoning that Shang needs to stay alive. However, before Baraka could retort, that’s when Kenshi interfered by grabbing Baraka from behind. As Baraka is surrounded by Kung Lao and Johnny Cage, Shang Tsung drags you away from the fight.

He urges you to come with him, as it's now, or never to join him or be left behind with those beneath you. You refused, backing away from the Sorcerer. Shang Tsung seems hurt by your rejection before it's so quickly replaced by that iconic smug grin that you thought you'd imagined his hurt.

"You'll regret not coming with me sooner."

He then takes the form of one of the Tarkatans before disappearing into the approaching crowd right in front of you. You had no time to ponder about the sorcery you just witnessed, as your attention was caught by Kung Lao voicing your confusion out loud. You stood with the rest of the camp against these intruders. You had no idea whether or not they worked for Shang Tsung, but you wouldn't let them hurt any of the Tarkatans!

You fought one-on-one with Kung Lao as Johnny was occupied with the rest of the camp. Admittedly, the young monk fought valiantly against you, even with your use of magic and toxins. Still, even battered and bruised, you wouldn't back down. You reached your hand to your mask, having not initially taken it off during the fight, ready to unleash your power on the monk. You and the rest of the camp stood off from the three intruders until Kenshi explained to himself and his companions to Baraka that they were after Shang Tsung on behalf of Lord Lui Kang due to the threat he poses to both his and your realm.

Sensing no deceit from him, Baraka explains what he and the rest of the camp are doing along with their illness, including his life before Tarkat. When Johnny Cage asks if Tarkat is why you wear a mask, you take the time to explain that you're not infected as far as you can tell; however, your appearance is drastically altered thanks to Shang Tsung. It's also because of the latter that you cannot remove your mask unless absolutely necessary. You also explain that you treat everyone at this camp as its main healer. You finally drop your hand from your mask after Baraka signals everyone else to back down.

After leaving a couple others to attend the camp, including which medicine is for which, you tag along with Baraka to your former laboratory. You brushed aside Baraka's concerns, reasoning that you know where it is and the layout well, to which Kenshi agrees.

While none of the others could read your expression beneath your mask or body language, Baraka knew what was going through your mind while trekking to the lab. He knows and smells the anxiety coursing through your veins as you get closer to where it all went wrong for you. Yet, he silently assures you he's here for you when taking your hand into his own as if to lend you some of his strength. And you know something? You think you're already feeling stronger just by his touch alone.

You already ran once from Shang Tsung; you won't this time, not after the new information that's come to light and from your experience for these past moons. There are more lives at stake besides your own now, after all.

A/N: And that's all for now. I didn't exceed the word limit this time, but it seemed like the best place to stop. Hope you enjoy it. If so, don't forget to like, comment, and reblog, as those encourage me to write sooner rather than later! Stay weird, my fellow humans.

Playlist while Writing:

"Bury a Friend" By Billie Eilish

"Diablo" By Simon Curtis

"My Demons" by Starset

"Fish Inside a Birdcage" by Fish in a Bird Cage

"Loser" By Neoni

"Nightmare" By Set it Off

[therobotmonster]

The Fantastic Four Movie Problem: A Pulp Peg in a Hero-Shaped Hole.

There's been a lot of attempts to make Fantastic Four movies, and none of them have really worked.

(I made the best one biggest. Fight me.)

I know why.

It's because the Fantastic Four, while being in the superhero genre, are not superheroes. They are adventurers.

They have more in common with these guys:

Than these guys:

And it all comes down to story structure, particularly in the origin episode.

Superheroes are by nature reactive. They respond to threats, protect people, and generally act as a blend of rescue worker and (usually) nonlethal sheriff. They are the heightened-reality version of the helpers of Mr. Rogers' philosophy. Doomsday shows up, you stop Doomsday. If there's no crime, you're not doing anything that day.

But the Fantastic Four, and particularly Reed, are adventurers. They go and find their trouble. There might be vague rumblings of something strange or unusual seismic activity or whatever to initiate the adventure, but Reed isn't waiting for the phone to ring so he can punch a bank robber, he's making plans for an expedition to Monster Island or he's built a doorway to the Negative Zone for the express purpose of exploring another universe.

The Fantastic Four go looking for interesting things and find trouble when they get there. The main exception to this is Doctor Doom, and the rush to make him the main villain in the first film is a rush past a glorious feast to go straight to the dessert.

It's like starting Holmes off face to face with Moriarty from day one, and it puts the Fantastic Four in the same do-gooder box as the rest.

It chops out their most unique aspect, their proactive nature, that all their personalities hinge on: It informs Reed's obsessive need to know and how it warps his priorities. It feeds Johnny's thrill-seeking and recklessness. Ben's mutation is the cost of that drive taken to the point of hubris and informs the spirit of the whole team. And Sue, who is the most traditionally superheroic in her outlook, has the codependent role of keeping her loved ones safe despite their self-destructive adventurism.

It's a long standing fandom joke that Reed is an asshole.

It's not unwarranted, but the whole team is a dysfunctional but still caring family, each with similar flaws. A thing that the adaptations often lose because they wind up being overly bicker-y to make up for the more static, reactive superhero format, and blaming Reed for them being freaks is easy pathos.

If they were treated as the pulp adventurers they are in spirit, you'd have a lot more chances for them to bond as each leg of the journey into the Savage Land runs into natural hazards and lesser foes on the way to the climax fight.

In short: Pulp it up.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 14: Like the Saying Goes... You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks, But You Can Teach a New Mutant Old Tricks

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

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Mikey is thrust into an empty room with cameras placed in each corner of the ceiling. He fidgets with his new tail, rubbing the edges of the scales and spikes that slowly rise as his anxiety grows. The scales on his shoulders have lifted, creating quills. He didn't have those before... did he? He can't remember.

He has a vague recollection of what he looked like before whatever happened to him... he knows that he didn't have the long tail. He knows that he didn't have the claws. He thinks he had the spots... maybe. He's not sure.

A hatch opens from the other side of the room. A creature hops in, sniffing around. It has bright red and pink eyes, white fur, and long ears. It's just a little bit smaller than Mikey, but something in his mind tells him it used to be very small. The way that the fur is malformed and mangy, the way that it is uncomfortable with its gangly legs that flop around and flail as it tries to move. There are antlers crowning its head, its paws are hiding sharp claws like Mikey's. It has a mouth full of misshapen fangs and teeth that stick out and stab its lips, causing cuts and scars across the bottom half of its face. It is drooling uncontrollably as it hops around the other end of the area, exploring.

Mikey chirps at it in interest, creeping closer.

Friend?

The creature turns its head in his direction.

It shrieks at him, the teeth criss-crossed and tangled. Its eyes are wild. It lunges sloppily at Mikey, gaining speed.

Mikey screeches in fright as he runs in the opposite direction, dodging the attack. The creature rams into the walls savagely and clumsily. It knocks several of the teeth out. But they instantaneously grow back. It turns around, searching for Mikey. One of the ears twitch when Mikey's nails scratch against the floor. The mutant jackalope's head does a full 270 degree turn and stares blindly at Mikey. It runs at him again, snarling and growling. Mikey tries to run away again, but the creature suddenly jumps -- much higher than Mikey can -- and pounces on him. Mikey falls against the floor, staring up in shock at the jackalope, who drools all over him. It snarls, snapping its jaw, trying to bite his head. Mikey moves back and forth, avoiding it as best as possible. It keeps getting closer. One of the fangs snips Mikey's bottom lip, tearing the skin. A profuse amount of blood spurts out, staining the white fur of the rabbit. It licks the tooth with a long snaking tongue, and the sound it makes almost resembles grotesque laughter. Mikey lifts his feet up underneath the creature and kicks it off of him. The creature goes flying and lands several feet away, crashing onto the floor. It wriggles and flails about in a terror, trying to get itself back up.

LET ME TAKE OVER, Instinct demands. LET INSTINCT KEEP YOU SAFE.

Okay, Mikey whimpers in his thoughts. Do what you must...

Mikey's thoughts grow soft and pliable as he lets the savage warrior mentality in him take control of his body. There is a shift, and suddenly every part of him can be commanded and controlled like a puppet, every ability and new feature at his order.

Mikey can't do that. But Instinct can.

Instinct doesn't wait for the jackalope mutant to get its footing back. He crawls up the side of the wall, situating himself at the ceiling as he watches what it will do.

The rabbit finally gets up and sniffs the room. Its head turns in every direction, as if it is looking for something... but the eyes don't move. The ears do.

It's blind. The creature is blind. It is listening for him.

Instinct silently starts to crawl across the ceiling, making his way to the other side of the room where the discarded teeth from earlier are.

He scales down the wall as the jackalope inspects the room for him. Instinct carefully reaches out and takes the long, sharp fangs in his hands. The rabbit's back is to him. It will never see him, it doesn't hear him. Now is the time to strike.

Instinct lunges at the rabbit, stabbing the broken fangs deep into its back. The monster makes a quick cry of pain before falling to the floor, writhing and wriggling and bleeding. Instinct pulls one of the teeth out of its back before stabbing again, and again, and again.

The mutant stops moving. The room is silent again. Instinct lets Mikey back in.

Mikey groggily looks around, trying to figure out what happened in his absence. He looks down at the poor thing underneath him. He looks at his hands, covered in red.

Mikey starts to cry.

A door opens behind him, startling him. He turns around, whimpering in fear.

"Well done," one of the scientists say, as several guards wearing thick gloves, helmets, suits made to protect them from savage animals come in and take Mikey by the arms and drag him away. "Well done, 'Mikey'. That was quick work. Let's see what else you are capable of, hmm?"

.

.

.

Mikey wakes up, and the first thing he feels is someone wiping tears away from his cheeks. He opens his eyes to see Red Raph standing there, whispering loving shushes at him. Leo is asleep on the beanbag again.

Mikey whines at Raph. He wants to tell him what he saw, what he did. He wants to ask him to hold him tight and never let him go again. He tries.

"Chirrup," he croaks.

Miraculously enough, Raph gets the message and wraps his arms over and under Michelangelo, lovingly lifting him up and cradling him close.

"You okay, big man?" he asks, rocking him back and forth.

Mikey nuzzles his face into Raph's shoulder. He sniffles and sobs without making a noise. Raphael hums a gentle tune to him, like he used to do when he found Mikey having a nightmare as a kid...

Huh. Mikey remembers that. That helps...

Mikey smiles at the happy memory. It replaces the ache in his chest from the bad memory...

Mikey smiles even more when Leo gets up and joins them, rubbing circles on Mikey's head. He purrs at the touch.

"Morning, Miguel," Leo says with a smile. "How're you doing?"

"Chhrrrrr..."

"Ready for some breakfast?" he asks with a smile.

Mikey's tail wags with all its might. He's starving.

.

.

.

Raph didn't expect to find Mikey crying in his sleep. He'd asked what he was dreaming about during breakfast, and Mikey had sheepishly signed something about a mutant that he'd had to fight in the labs. But he didn't give many details. Raph wanted to offer comfort again, but for whatever reason Mikey flinched when he touched his shoulder and refused to return the affection like he had that morning. Something felt off, Mikey felt far away...

Raphael had resolved to do something with Mikey that would make him smile again. That's what he's doing now, as Leon and Donnie are cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast.

Raphael follows after his baby brother, who trots back to his bedroom to play with the paints he and Leo found last night. He's dipping his hands in the small bottles and scribbling messy doodles onto the sheets scattered across the floor.

"Hey Mikey, whatcya drawin'?"

Mikey looks up with a shy smile and signs to him.

'Brothers. R-A-P-H, D-O-N-N-I-E, and L-E-O.'

"You remember our names?" Raph asks with excitement.

Mikey nods and signs that he and Leo practiced their names the night before. Raph smiles brightly as he sits across from Mikey.

"That's amazing, Mikey! I'm so happy for you!"

Mikey's shy smile grows bigger. He squeaks out a gleeful beep, his tail wags and the very tip of it taps against the floor several times.

"Hey, I know you're busy with drawin' and artsy stuff, but do you think Raph could try sumthin' with ya?"

Mikey nods, intrigued. He wipes his fingers off on the paper, and gives Raph his full attention.

"Okay. Now, this is just an exercise, it's okay if it doesn't work on the first attempt, but we might as well try, right?"

Mikey purses his lips and tilts his head in confusion.

"I want to see if I can help you figure out how to talk again."

Mikey's eyes go wide as saucers. Is he serious? Could Mikey actually talk again?

"I know, I know, but you can make sounds with your throat, right? It's just to try. Can we try?"

Mikey nods ecstatically. He so badly wants to talk again, he's so desperate to communicate with his voice.

"Okay! Great! Let's try this... I know you can growl. Can you make the growling sound for me? Grrr?"

Mikey nods and begins to vibrate his vocal chords.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrghh..."

"That's great! Okay, now just the 'rrrr' sound."

Mikey mimics Raph as he purses his lips and produces a softer growl, enunciating just the 'R's.

"Great! Now, try saying 'ah'?" Raph asks. "I've heard you do it before, it's easy, right?"

Mikey nods, making the 'ah' sound, opening his mouth wide and unintentionally giving Raphael a glimpse of the many sharp fangs and canine teeth he has now.

"Good, good. Now, let's try a new one. Can you make the 'ff' sound?"

Mikey's expression falters. He concentrates, following Raph's instructions as best he can. He presses his teeth against his tongue and blows air through.

"Thhhh...?"

"Try it like this," Raph says, pointing to how he bites his lower lip.

Mikey tries, but bites down too hard at first and yipes.

"Gently!" Raph yelps nervously, reaching for Mikey. "Gently! Don't bite down so hard, just... softly place your upper jaw on your lower lip."

Mikey tries again, carefully resting his teeth against his lip and gently blowing.

"Fffffffft? Ffff!"

"Nicely done!" Raph congratulates. "Okay, let's review those sounds again. 'Rr'?"

"Rrrrrrrhh..."

"Ah?"

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Ffff."

"Pffff!"

"All three together?"

Mikey clenches his fists and concentrates hard.

"RRrgghh... Aaaahh... Ffff... RrAhhPpFfff... Rrrraafff... Rraff? Raff. R-Raff! Ah!! RAFF!!"

Mikey looks up in shock and sheer delight. His eyes sparkle and he almost starts crying.

"RrAAaFfFf!!" he shouts in excitement, pointing at himself and then at his brother as he realizes what he had him learn to say. "Raff! Raff!"

"You did it, Mikey!" Raph cheers ecstatically, grabbing Mikey's hands and shaking them with joy. "I knew you could! I knew you could do it!! Hey, wanna go show our brothers?"

Mikey nods furiously.

Raph stands up and ushers Mikey out, who zooms away quickly but halts to wait at the end of the hall.

The two waltz into the kitchen where Leo and Donnie are just finishing up the dishes.

"Excuse me, boys," Raph announces, swelling with pride. "But Mikey has something he'd like to show us!"

"Oh?" Leo says, pausing a conversation he and Donnie were having. "What's up, Miguel?"

Mikey saunters into the doorway with ego and self-admiration, sitting himself down and lifting his head up high to loudly proclaim...

"Raph."

Donnie and Leo freeze.

"Did... did he just... Mikey, did you just say Raph??"

Mikey and Raphael beam.

"He sure did! We've been working on phonics and enunciation."

"That's so AWESOME!!" Leo yells, running to Mikey and wrapping him up in a hug. "Ohmigosh! Can he say my name, too?"

"Well, he only just learned how to say my name, but we can practice yours. You wanna give it a go, Mikey?" Raph asks.

Mikey nods and chirps before repeating the only word he can say.

"Raff! Rapfh! Raph!"

"Okay, I think you can make the 'ee' sound alright, so let's focus on the 'L' for now. Make the 'rrr' sound again for me?"

Mikey does, and Leo practices along with him.

"Rrrrr..."

"Rrrr..."

"Okay, now, while you make the 'R', press your tongue against the back of your teeth."

Mikey looks confused, but Leo gives it a go.

"Rrrrrrlllll--! Ah! I never realised that... How did you know to do that?" Leo asks.

"When Mikey was a turtle tot, he had that speech impediment where he pronounced his 'R's and 'L's as 'W's. I had to help him figure out how to say them properly," Raph explains. "I guess that's why I wanted to do this speech therapy with him."

Leo and Mikey share a smile and awww at him.

Mikey goes back to focusing on the enunciation, making a soft rumble from his throat that turns into the Rrrrrrgh sound. In the middle of the 'R's, he presses his tongue against his teeth.

"RrrrrrrrllllLLLLL!" Mikey bounces and laughs. "LLLLL! LLLLA! LA! LALALALA!"

Leo laughs along with him. Donnie smiles and huffs out a soft chuckle. The room is laughter and smiles and the lightest feeling of happiness and genuine joy that has existed in this home since Mikey had been taken from them. In this moment, there is healing and wholesomeness. And nothing could break it.

.

.

.

Over New York, a series of small drones fly through the skyline and scan over the city, searching for something... or someone.

One such drone hovers over a specific area, going round in circles as it scans a series of buildings and alleys.

The scans and video footage is transmitted live to a security room in the EPF labs. A woman is watching the video feed, eyes never blinking and expression totally blank. Her gaze darts from computer to computer, screen to screen. She is looking for anything out of the ordinary.

A door behind her opens. Two men with walk into the room, one in a white lab coat and one wearing a dark uniform and carrying a small weapon on his belt.

"Ah, hello Ms. Campbell," the lab coat greets as he stands behind her, leaning against her chair. "How is it coming along?"

"The drones are functioning properly, Dr. Chaplin," she states flatly.

"Is that so?" he asks, his tone irritated. "Then explain to me why drone 5574 keeps going in circles?"

"Drone 5574 is programed to locate the escaped experiment," she responds cooly. "It is following the embedded tracker."

"A stroke of genius to install trackers in them all," Dr. Chaplin sighs with exasperation. "In case events like this occur... But why is it just circling the one area?"

"It cannot use the artificial recognition software to locate the experiment."

"Why is that?"

"Could the experiment have removed the tracker?" the young man in black uniform asks, stepping closer.

"Impossible, it was unconscious when we inserted it, completely sedated!" Dr. Chaplin says with aggravation and exasperation.

"Then, perhaps the drone is malfunctioning?"

"Ms. Campbell here says all the drones are working properly," he rebuts. "She is never wrong."

"I suspect that the experiment is hiding," Ms. Campbell states. "Either in one of the buildings, alleys, or perhaps even in the sewers."

"Hmm. It could be. Have you detected any movement from the alleys?"

"Negative."

"I doubt it could have lasted this long hiding unseen in any of these buildings... my guess is it's in the sewers. We'll start searching down there... In the meantime," Dr. Chaplin says, turning back to the agent behind him, "Bishop, take a small group of men and do some reconnaissance. I want to make sure he isn't hiding in plain sight. Any idiot could see him and sell him to some circus sideshow or -- god forbid, post a selfie with him. The last thing we need now is publicity, so be discreet."

"Very well. What are you planning to do?" Agent Bishop asks.

"The sewers are too reckless of a place to send a squad in yet. We'll send in some drones to look around."

Dr. Chaplin smiles.

"We'll catch him again soon. There's no doubt about that. He is EPF property. He could hold the key to so many genetic discoveries and uncoverings... but first, to recapture him. Ms Campbell, I trust you don't mind staying here to watch the feed?"

"I will be fine," she says, still not having taken her eyes away from the video feed.

"It's almost like you were made for this stuff," Dr. Chaplin jokes, as he and Agent Bishop walk out of the room, leaving Ms. Campbell to watch the computers alone again.

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[theanoninyourinbox]

The Stars and the Afterlives

Starclan is the Afterlife of the Clan Cat. But what Roles might a cat have in the starry lands above? And where do non-clan cats go? Where do Traitors go?

STARCLAN

This is where every Clan cat wishes to go, a lush land of greenery and peaceful days. Where kits become the adults they were meant to be, mentored by their ancestors. Where elders shed their aches and dance in the meadows. The prey is endless, the predators nonexistent, the trees forever blooming. Honey drips where industrious stingless bees gather, and deep glens give privacy and comfort to the traumatized. Borders are gone, and those banned from relationships, either cross-clan or Healers, may find love.

Starclan cats have white four-pointed pupils, and small stars scatter in their fur. Scars they chose to keep gleam like the night sky, and they nearly float with each step. Starclan cats have four major roles, though others do exist, and any cat may change to any other role if they wish.

Star-Guide: these cats are the prophecy givers, often cryptic and mysterious. They plant signs like Herbalists plant Poppies, and divine the future in a great Crystal in a pool of starlight. Yellowfang is a Star-Guide, one that refuses to be any more cryptic than she has to.

Kit-Shaper: these cats guide the Faded, those long forgotten even by Starclan cats, into their final form - the next living generation. The Faded will fall apart into motes of light in a Sacred Glen, and Kit-Shapers will take these gleaming shapes and create kits. They fashion tiny noses and triangle tails, paint stripes and spots and patches, and set starlight in their eyes, before sending them to a laboring queen or king. Lionheart is a Kit-Shaper, spending his time molding the perfect kitten for each queen or king.

Path-finder: these cats periodically wander the living world, seeking to bring lost cats home, whether living or dead. They tirelessly search for Spirits who are missed, and often will guide lost or abandoned kits to the clans. Whiteclaw is a Path-Finder, knowing what it’s like to feel lost himself.

Comet-Claw: the Brawlers of Starclan, that patrol the line between the Stars and the Dark. Moonlit claws and sunbeam teeth savage any intruder, and rescue any living soul they may find lost. Swiftspirit is a Comet-Claw, always watching for Tiger”star”.

THE KITTYPET AFTERLIFE

Often referred to as the Twoleg Starplace, kittypets go to the same afterlife as their owners. There’s always food out, the toys are endless, and just about every twoleg wants to pet you. If their twoleg was abusive, kittypets will find a new loving twoleg to pet them and help them heal.

LONER AFTERLIFE

Referred to as the Quiet Hunting Grounds, loners go to endless fields and evening skies. The prey is plentiful, or as challenging as one wants, there’s company and shelter if one wishes, and the rolling fields and hills go on forever.

Those who chose to wander the lands of the living from these places are Spirits - they cannot touch another, save other Spirits or Star-Blessed cats. They can move items, so someone moving the prey you caught might be a mischievous Spirit.

THE DARK FOREST/MIRETREES

Where those who believed in Starclan go if they break the Code’s major rules (do not harm others needlessly, never harm the helpless, and kill not thy clanmate without true need) and do not atone in some way. It’s a dark and moonless place, with a variety of landscapes - all twisted from what they once were. The river where Rushtooth died is constantly writhing like worms, grasping at any who draw near. The clearing where Tiger”star” died is full of pain wails and the feeling of being betrayed. There is a shady Healer’s den, that’s covered in deathberries and thorny vines with yellow flowers.

Cats from The Dark are twisted and monstrous, often with bloody pelts and twisted limbs. The older a Miretree can is, the more insane the mutation. The dread One Eye, the first cat of the Dark Forest, is missing much of his face, all of his claws, and most of his guts. In comparison, Tiger”star” just has a flapping belly full of noxious dripping ooze and twoleg chains.

Those who escape the Miretrees are called Geists. They are near-universally malicious, and often haunt the place of their death. They DO have some power over the living, with their aura poisoning the spirits of the living.

For Example, the Geist Mapleshade poisoned almost the entirety of Crookedstar’s family, only sparing his brother and two of his kits. It took the Comet-Claws days to drive her back to the Mire, and having lost most of her power, she now plots vengeance.

[choiceofgames]

More “World of Darkness” Games!

Choice of Games, in partnership with World of Darkness and Paradox Interactive, today announced that they would produce ten more interactive novels set in the World of Darkness shared story universe through 2027.

Choice of Games’ interactive novels have received critical and popular acclaim, with Vampire: The Masquerade — Sins of the Sires standing as a finalist for the Game Writing Award in the annual Nebula awards this weekend. Choice of Games and World of Darkness congratulate Natalia Theodoridou on this achievement.

Choice of Games' next two upcoming titles in the World of Darkness, Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names and Hunter: The Reckoning — Beast of Glenkildove are now available to wishlist on Steam.

* * * * *

Save the living earth with Rage and spirit! Awaken ancient mysteries, rebuild your fallen pack, and unleash your fearsome might to heal a shattered land.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names is an interactive novel set in the World of Darkness by Kyle Marquis, author of the 2020 smash hit Vampire: The Masquerade — Night Road. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Shapeshifter. Mystic. Hero. Monster. You are a werewolf, and you are all these things. Werewolves are the living earth's last guardians, created by Gaia, given the gift of shifting between human and wolf forms, and called to stop humanity from destroying the world.

Yet you have failed. Pollution chokes the cities and mad spirits rampage through the wild places. You swore to protect Gaia, but the werewolves turned on each other, slaughtered their allies, fell into despair or mad Rage.

You are one of the few who remember the oaths you swore to the living earth - which has made you an exile. But rather than surrender to despair, you have sworn to uncover the secrets of a defiled land and fight the Apocalypse. Stormcat, once the Spirit of a thriving community of werewolves, has called upon you to rebuild that shattered pack. In the savage woods and decaying cities of New England, you will forge your own legend.

Build Your Pack. Human and werewolf survivors haunt the woods and hide in the cities: find them to learn what happened and to rebuild the werewolf nation. But not all werewolves can be trusted: shun those wolves consumed by Rage, and pity those who have lost the Wolf and become empty shells.

Survive the Wilds. A desperate exile, shunned by those who have abandoned their oaths to Gaia, you'll have to survive by your wits. A winter night can kill as surely as any monster: find shelter, seek allies among spirits and humans, and learn how far you'll go to survive.

Unleash Your Rage. You are one of Gaia's monsters, a living weapon, herald of vengeance and death. Now the Apocalypse is here: wield your Rage with savage cunning and keen discretion, or it will swallow you whole.

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; befriend or romance werewolves and humans of all genders.

Shapeshift among five forms to slaughter your enemies, or outwit them to take what you need.

Choose your auspice (moon-sign) and your werewolf tribe to learn what sort of monster you are.

Claim your territory and heal the spirits there to unlock Gifts that let you summon animals, control the elements, or enter the spirit world.

Face mutated monsters and corrupt spirits in the dark woods and decaying factory towns of rural New England.

About Kyle Marquis

This is Kyle Marquis's eighth game with Choice of Games; his previous titles include the dieselpunk flying-ace game Empyrean, the time-traveling alternate-history Byzantine mystery Silverworld, and the apotheosis-seeking magical adventure Tower Behind the Moon.

* * * * *

Full moon. Cold night. Dark shadow. Warm gun. The Beast of Glenkildove has stalked Ireland for centuries. Now, you must hunt it.

Hunter: The Reckoning — The Beast of Glenkildove is an interactive novel by William Brown, set in the World of Darkness shared story universe. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination

Eight years ago, when you were eighteen, the Beast of Glenkildove killed one of your closest friends. You've never returned to Ireland since that day.

It's difficult to remember what happened. As you'll soon learn, the human mind blots out the traumatic memories of facing a werewolf.

Now, you must stalk that werewolf across the shadowed glens and fogbound mountains of Ireland, hunting a shapeshifting killing machine with your friends, your wits, and a shotgun.

But you and your friends are not alone. You have entered a world of Hunters, humans who dare to challenge the dominion of the monsters who rule over them. Can you trust the fanatics of the Society of Leopold, the scholars and savants of the Arcanum, the ruthless Duffy crime family, or the enigmatic biotech company Fada?

Can you even trust your oldest friends?

Redemption for some. Retribution for others. A reckoning for all.

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; befriend or romance humans and supernaturals of any gender

Kill, study, capture, document or negotiate with the creatures you hunt

Craft your own traps, gear, and weapons to take the Hunt to the enemy

Find camaraderie and romance with the only people in the world that you can trust to fight alongside you

Adopt and train your own wolfhound to assist you in the Hunt

Build and maintain your own safehouse at the Wolf’s Head Inn in the Wicklow Mountains

Become the thing that even nightmares fear.

About William Brown

William Brown was born in Ireland. He is the author of two previous Choice of Games titles: The Mysteries of Baroque, a Gothic horror story, and Cliffhanger: Challenger of Tomorrow, a pulp adventure yarn. He studied theology and Biblical studies at Trinity College Dublin, did a Master’s at Oxford University, and a PhD at Edinburgh University. He now teaches at a college in London.

* * * * *

About Choice of Games

Choice of Games LLC is dedicated to producing high-quality, text-based, multiple-choice games. Since 2009 they have produced over one hundred titles in-house, including Choice of the Dragon and Choice of Robots. Six of their recent titles have been nominated for the Nebula Award for Game Writing. They have also developed a simple scripting language for writing text-based games, ChoiceScript, which they make available to others for use in their projects, and they host games produced by other designers using ChoiceScript on their website. All of their games are available on the web at choiceofgames.com and on Steam. They also produce mobile versions of their games that can be played on iPhones, Android phones, and other smartphones.

About Paradox Interactive

The Paradox Interactive group includes development, publishing, and licensing of games and brands, consisting of a portfolio of more than 100 titles created both internally and by independent studios. Paradox owns an array of award-winning and top-selling brands including Cities: Skylines, Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Age of Wonders, and many more games available on PC and console platforms. Paradox is the owner of the World of Darkness IPs and is publishing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 on PC and consoles soon.

From the company’s start in 2004, Paradox has published its games worldwide, with top markets including the USA, UK, China, Germany, France, and Russia. Today, over four million gamers play a Paradox game each month with a global community reaching over ten million registered Paradox users. Paradox Interactive AB (publ)’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm First North Premier under ticker PDX. FNCA Sweden AB is the company’s Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit www.paradoxinteractive.com.

[heraldofcrow]

Sky Burial and Blasphemy Theory

I believe I may finally have answers for Eileen and Bloody Crow’s implied rivalry.

(I was stumped for a while, but thankfully, I have very smart friends. You know who you are).

Note: I will be using screenshots of retranslated Japanese descriptions and dialogue from the LastProtagonist document. This is to ensure a more accurate reading of Bloodborne’s lore. The document can be found here.

—

Sky Burial

(Painting by Ronan Boyle)

Eileen the Crow is, as her name suggests, a crow-hunter, or as the Japanese translation puts it, a “hunter-hunter.”

She and her predecessors dressed as crows to represent the art of sky burial.

~~

What is sky burial?

It’s been discussed many times before in this fandom, but for the sake of context, here is a definition from a Tibetan website:

“Sky burial is simply the disposal of a corpse to be devoured by vultures. In Tibetan Buddhism, sky burial is believed to represent their wishes to go to heaven. It is the most widespread way for commoners to deal with the dead in Tibet.”

~~

This what led us to believe that the first hunter-hunters, those that were said to come from the hinterlands/a remote foreign land, were Tibetan. We do not know if this is the case for Eileen, but either way, she upholds the tradition as a crow, and likely reveres it as a solemn duty.

The choice of crows to represent this practice instead of vultures, though an altered form of symbolism, fits quite naturally as well. Crows and the Carrion Crows in Bloodborne feast on the dead, on blood, and take the bounty with them in their beaks.

Even the common folktale of crows foretelling death and decay as dark heralds is something that could easily be tied to sky burial.

Furthermore, the symbolism deepens when we realize that Carrion Crows have a clear association with blood consumption in-game.

Had they not consistently devoured the tainted blood of the many corpses throughout Yharnam, they likely would not have become mutated. This is a sure sign that these creatures thoroughly eat through carrion, blood and all—much like vultures.

Crows suit the more respectable method of burial, and as such, crow-hunters cloak themselves in black-feathered garb, take down mad hunters, and leave them to be consumed by these birds of carrion.

Another key detail to this tradition is the association that blood may have with the soul. Throughout FromSoftware games, there is a theme that adheres to ancient cultural beliefs about the human/animal life force.

Just as Dark Souls 3 confirmed that Gael sought for the “blood of the dark soul,” or in other words, the “blood of humanity” for his lady’s painting, so does Bloodborne ensure to clarify that human souls are found within their own blood. This very notion is suggested through the explanation for sky burial.

If the soul is in the blood, then a crow consuming the ichorous remains of any body and returning to the skies with this carrion in its beak would mark the “salvation of a soul.”

The human was not damned to the under earth or cremated to ash, but was “lifted to heaven” in the hope of rest, peace, and sanctification.

This is what crow-hunters wish for their befouled and wayward comrades, who sin in their final moments under the influence of blood-drunken impulses. Any warrior lost to such madness would be likely to fear for their post-mortem fate if they were able to think clearly for even a moment.

Crow-hunters understand this, and offer mercy by way of cutting their ruined lives short before giving their souls to the birds of heaven. Perhaps those hunters would find their way to the Dream instead of the Nightmare.

This would have been a sacred ritual, preserved and taught among crow-hunters as something never to be fumbled, twisted, or forgotten. It is their native tradition—something even linked to their religion.

Anything less was considered blasphemy, particularly the savage burial methods of Yharnam.

—

Blasphemy

Now, when observing the visual and contextual aspects of the “Bloody Crow of Cainhurst,” it becomes apparent that there is a darker implication to his character—one that is eerily dualistic.

You are required to have a firm grasp on what it is that crow-hunters do, and what the Vileblood royal guards were in service to Annalise for. Yet once the pieces are put into place, we can see the Bloody Crow for what he truly is, and why his methods violate those perpetuated by the crow-hunters.

He is a heretical warrior with a blasphemous personification and purpose. He is the embodiment of sacrilege in regards to the hallowed art of sky burial and the respectful guardianship of ambivalent souls. Every hint given to us in-game contributes to this image of heresy that the Bloody Crow presents.

What are these hints?

They are left among the descriptions for Vileblood assets, particularly the Guard’s armor set and the Corruption + Blood Rapture runes.

I will share a link to this reblog that my friend and I discussed this particular element of the lore on, but to sum up what it is that Annalise’s guards do, we must first understand blood echoes.

As the Japanese states it, they are “the dying wills” of the slain. The “last wishes” of those that have passed on. In this way, we further discern the association with blood and soul in Bloodborne.

Now hunters themselves rely on blood echoes to gain strength, and as we have seen, some of these hunters become addicted to this odd relationship. These are the blood-drunks, or “echo fiends,” and thus are the very hunters stated to be targeted by Annalise’s guards.

To simplify it as acutely as possible, the Vileblood queen’s hunters kill blood-drunks in the same manner as crow-hunters, but with an altered purpose and enterprise. They seek for the writhing “dregs” within the frenzied hunter blood, only to deliver it all to Annalise, who will then consume that unnatural life force.

She does this for the sake of bearing her promised Child of Blood, the heir of Cainhurst and of the Vileblood line.

Now we can put two and two together when studying Bloody Crow.

From his appearance alone, we can deduce that he owes some allegiance to Cainhurst, and to the modus operandi of Annalise’s guards.

He dons their ornate armor, he wields their famed sword, the chikage, and he drops the Blood Rapture rune upon death. This rune is not to be taken lightly. It is a secret resonating with direct servants of the queen.

Blood Rapture itself is a supplement for those guards of Annalise that crave her blood, but cannot yet receive it. They instead find ecstasy in the warmth of blood itself. A brief solution for an unbearable longing.

All of this, in theory, is in direct conflict with the values of a crow-hunter.

The souls of drunken hunters being ripped from their mutilated bodies and brought to a queen for consumption must have been a dark heresy. It violates every principle of sky burial, and twists the nature of a fallen warrior’s salvation.

The Vilebloods could have argued that all of these stolen souls were being used for the better, given to a being that would birth a new and divine form of life, thereby resurrecting the amalgamation of lost lives.

In a sense, it could have the potential to be a form of reincarnation for those warriors.

Yet it does not matter, because a violation of tradition and belief is just that, and if anyone ever blatantly spat in the face of sky burial, it was the Bloody Crow.

And so, in the game itself, we see the culmination of this strife come into full fruition.

—

The Conflict

Eileen, soaked in blood, lies before the Grand Cathedral when we come to the end of her questline. We discover that she has been wounded in the process of hunting down her new “prey.”

Whoever or whatever takes the shape of this “prey” has proven to be too much for Eileen, and though she is older, she is undeniably formidable. This enemy hunter stands apart as an unusual threat.

When we fight him, aiding Eileen, we discover that he shows no signs of normal blood-drunk behavior. He is calm, focused, he stands his ground, refusing to leave the cathedral. He does not rave about and wail in anger, nor does he declare his mad intentions the way an unstable Eileen does in the alternate quest-line.

He has a purpose.

He is the crow that feeds on the blood of hunters, but he does not return to the sky as he was meant to. Instead, he carries his prizes back to Cainhurst and presents them to his queen, blaspheming against Eileen’s covenant and defiling his own honor.

Does he do it purely out of loyalty to Annalise? Does he do it merely to defy Eileen or to torment hunters? Is it vengeance for Cainhurst? For his own life? Is he simply insane in a different way than most blood-drunks?

We could even wonder if he knows that the aspect of sky burial that involves allowing lost hunters to find the Dream is something to be dreaded. Could it hearken to the story of Gideon Ofnir in Elden Ring?

After all, the truth of how gods puppeteer warriors and use them to carry out their schemes can be a devastating thing, sometimes sending the most insightful into a frenzied, desperate state, and Crow does seem to be placed in front of one of the central lanterns. Could this be a possibility?

We may never know for certain, but regardless of his own wishes, he has rebelled against Eileen’s. He is the shame of every crow-hunter before him, so we must put him down after a long and bitter duel.

When we finally overcome this devil, we earn Eileen’s full trust, and her own mantle as a Hunter of Hunters. It becomes our sworn duty to preserve the ancient tradition of sky burial, and to refrain from falling into blasphemy as the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst did.

And that my friends, is my theory on our infamous crow-feud.

—

Thanks to my mutuals (Lore Council gang 🫡) for all the help with this!

[bulkyphrase]

Cap-IM Rec Week - Golden Oldie Thursday

Day 4 of @cap-ironman's rec week event!

It was hard to pick from all my pre-2019 bookmarks, so my criteria for this list were a little more limited than the prompt. These are some of my favorite fics that are more than 10 years old, and haven't appeared on one of my previous rec lists.

A Particular Style by sinuous_curve (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 3,640 words)

Date: August 12, 2012

Summary: “The erotic tale of one camp counselor’s descent into lesbian madness?” Toni rattles off the summary, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead in a swoon that Steph can’t see. “I can’t fault your taste. It was always one of my favorites.”

Betwixt by tsukinofaerii (616 | Not Rated | Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con | 7,968 words)

Date: October 31, 2009

Summary: Steve is pulled into an alternate universe that could have been plucked from his nightmares. All he wants to do is get home alive. Tony may have other ideas.

The Wheels of Inevitability by sinuous_curve (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 1,241 words)

Date: October 31, 2012

Summary: “You know, once in high school I got into an argument about whether or not the serum made your tits bigger,” Toni says, threading a loop of black cord down the center of Steph’s sternum.

More below the cut!

Apparently Only One Meal From Barbarism by valtyr (616 | Explicit | Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con | 2,172 words)

Date: September 19, 2010

Summary: The Savage Land: "All kinds of mutates and dinosaurs and big cheetahs and a surprising amount of acceptable nudity." - Spider-Man

Incident Report by justanotherStonyfan (MCU | Not Rated | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 5,058 words)

Date: March 18, 2013

Summary: Everything would have been fine if Fury had just let them sleep before the debrief, but no, that would be too easy. But Super-Soldiers need their sleep, and problems are caused when they don't get it. Billionaires, though...they hardly need to sleep at all, right?

For Sale, One Super Soldier, Slightly Used by valtyr (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 1,692 words)

Date: September 24, 2010

Summary: Movieverse hookerfic. Don't judge me. I guess maybe issues of consent in the social pressure kind of way?

Heroes and Devils by marinarusalka (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 35,275 words)

Date: September 20, 2011

Summary: Three years after Dr. Doom cast the entire island of Manhattan into the dark depths of the Echo Bazaar, life goes on. The people of Lowered Manhattan, including the Avengers, have adapted as best they could to their shadowy new existence. But then the Avengers find themselves in possession of a mysterious locked box that could save them all -- if it doesn't kill Tony first.

A Fire to be Kindled by drifloon (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 15,685 words)

Date: December 09, 2012

Summary: It makes perfect sense, of course. The serum gave Steve the perfect body, so why wouldn’t it also give him the perfect mind? In the quietness of his own mind, Tony can admit he’s a little stung Steve didn’t tell him, but he’s not really surprised. (Or: the one where Steve is smarter than Tony, and neither of them deal well.)

Bonded, Not Broken by Jaune_Chat (@jaune-chat) (MCU | Mature | Underage | 5,364 words)

Date: March 08, 2013

Summary: In a world where a touch reveals your soulmate, Steve Rogers, never frozen, thought he'd never find his perfect match. Until the day he's fifty years old and held newborn Tony Stark in his arms. Then he realized the man he'd been destined to love his whole life had just arrived. But how in the world could they ever be together, with a half-century of years between them?

as they learned to see by often_adamanta (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 11,643 words)

Date: May 30, 2013

Summary: Tony stayed silent through her terse explanation, anger growing. When Natasha was finished, he asked, “So you’re telling me that Steve’s been missing for almost two months, most likely kidnapped by an unknown organization, a force which employs two brilliant but completely crazy scientists that hate Stark Industries because they were refused jobs on the basis of their psych evals, and I’m only hearing about this now?”

we don't need a heart of gold, we need the heart of a lion by Zekkass (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 16,879 words)

Date: April 17, 2012

Summary: 'You know what's an interesting plot bunny? And I'm sorry in advance. If Captain America was an alternate personality of Steve's or vice versa.'

[knight-elkwarden]

The Imarri or Plains Dragon, shown here in the nude for reference and documentation. They wear clothes, don't worry.

The continent of Har Fang has no native apes and has been isolated from the rest of the planet for millions of years. The Plains Dragon was the first species to achieve sapience here, separated into two populations by a mountain range, the Anorri and the Imarri.

Also called "Lesser Dragons" or "Winged Fire Drakes", though the Imarri consider these names insults, having being used by the Anorri to diminish them and elevate themselves as "superior beings".

The Anorri, having found a powerful source of shaping magic, rapidly advanced technologically and mutated themselves to the point that they looked nothing like their Plains Dragon ancestors or Imarri cousins.

When the ice wall started advancing, most of the Anorri perished, and those that managed to flee into modern known Har Fang violently displaced the Imarri out of their ancestral lands.

The Imarri today are found in scattered populations along the southern edge of Har Fang in areas deemed too resource poor to settle by the Anorri.

While it varies from culture to culture, and even individually, most Imarri today are neutral to friendly towards humans. As long as one does not intrude on their territories without prior warning and does not steal any of their already meager resources, they see no reason to despise humans.

An exception to this is the Badlands, also known as the island of Ketcharri. There, a culture emerged containing both Imarri and Humans as equals.

The same courtesy does not apply to the Anorri, who mostly see them as primitive savages at best and pests to be eradicated at worst.

[pepperclint]

[bloodinthegutter]

Vertigo's appearance in the now defunct mobile game X-Men: Battle of the Atom

1st APPEARANCE: Marvel Fanfare #1

BIO: The mysterious woman known as Vertigo first appeared alongside the mutated residents of the Savage Land. Empowered by Magneto with the ability to instill extreme disorientation or nausea in those around her, she fought the X-Men at his command.

STATUS: Eventually, Vertigo was cloned by Mister Sinister to be one of his Marauders. Once the baby messiah was born - she joined the pursuit to capture and preserve the child from the humans who would kill her.

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

12, 15 (I think I know this one but here's you're chance to wax poetic), 20 (can't be pyro), & 21 for avalanche!

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Since I have already posted a ton of headcanons for Pyro over the years, I'm giving this question to Morph from TAS. Exiles Morph was born with his X-gene activated (basically appeared as a white blobby vaguely human-shaped baby) and also lost his mother to cancer at around 13 or so. Since TAS Morph seems less powerful than Exiles Morph, I tend to assume they were born "normal" and developed powers later, but I consider the dead mother to be part of their backstory. So, my headcanon is that the first thing TAS Morph ever shapeshifted into was their mother - shortly after the funeral, when they were desperately missing her and wishing they could see her again. It completely freaked them out, and it took a little while for them to go, "Oh, I'm a mutant and also shape-shifting can be fun." But if any X-Man ever asks Morph how they discovered their powers, they always give a wacky joke answer because the truth is kind of a bummer and they don't want to get into all that, not to mention all the weird Freudian implications. (Of course, X-Men 97 might completely negate this headcanon.)

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

You're right, you know it's gonna be Pyro and Avalanche. Honestly, I just love the contrast of (relatively) serious, stoic, less chatty guy with excitable, extroverted gregarious guy (not mention the big guy/skinny guy aesthetic). I think Pyro is constantly dragging Avalanche out to DO things, and Avalanche (mostly) enjoys it. And the way those two have been together for so long, through thick and thin, Avalanche going with Pyro to the Savage Land to try to find a Legacy Virus cure even though he's not infected and there's no personal benefit for him. I can't imagine Avalanche going to such great lengths for anyone else. Like even in canon they are bros, even if the comics won't let them bang. From their very first introduction you see them having each other's backs and not really fighting with each other the way they both occasionally fight with Blob. And, much like Mystique and Destiny or Blob and Unus (or Black Tom and Juggernaut), I just love the idea of two criminals in love.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

For Not Pyro. Hmmm.....I'll say that I think Toad should be good friends with Blob, because they have both been on the same team (a few times), both have mutations that make them "ugly" in the eyes of most people, and are treated badly because of it. They've both been through some shit. And I think Freddy's general attitude of "Fuck you, I am who I am, and I'm okay with it," might help Morty deal with some of his own issues. Freddy doesn't really take any shit from anyone, and seems comfortable with himself in general, while Toad is always full of self-loathing.

But since Toad is currently part of the Exiles, I kinda hope he manages to bond with some of them. Third Eye at least reached out to him. Let Toad have some friends.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

For Avalanche - much like with Blob (or Pyro) I want to give him some internal complexity and not just write him as a dumb, violent criminal, even though all three of them often are in the comics. And filling in his backstory, of course, dude has been in comics for decades and we know almost nothing about him, even his supposed "wife." One of my headcanons is that he grew up in a large family as one of the older kids and therefore knows a lot about dealing with children because he was expected to help look after his siblings. Put him in a situation with a crying baby, and he will automatically take charge, whether he actually wants to or not, he just jumps into the role of "I guess someone has to deal with this." He has a love-hate relationship with his family, he hated all the expectations and responsibilities placed on him, but he misses the sense of community, and having a place where he "belonged." He also probably got kicked out for being a mutant.

What I don't like in fic - how the popularity of "Lance Alvers" from X-Men evolution has completely overshadowed Dominikos, and any fic with Avalanche in it will likely be Lance. Much like movie Pyro John Allerdyce has mostly overshadowed comics Pyro in fandom. And I actually like the adapted versions, sullen bad boy American teens Lance Alvers and John Allerdyce are both interesting characters. But they definitely are very different from their comics counterparts, Lance is basically just Rictor in all but name, and it's made it hard to find any fan works for the original versions of the characters.